Guajillo Grill, more commonly referred to as just Guajillo, is a little neighborhood Mexican restaurant tucked away in the same strip mall as the now infamous Ray’s Hell Burger on Wilson Boulevard. Well, famous if you live in the DC Metro area, anyways. In fact, Guajillo is right next door, and if you can resist the urge to follow the legions of people flowing into Ray’s Hell Burger, you might be a little surprised to find out what you’re missing.

Guajillo doesn’t have the big time restaurant feel to it, which is fine with the people who work there as well as the owners. It comes across more as a neighborhood spot to eat, which completely perplexes me as to why everybody there (well, except one new hostess) seemed to know Jen. Eyes lit up when they saw her, and I heard an endless barrage of greetings, welcoming her back. One guy asked Jen to sign a napkin. One guy brought over a baby for Jen to kiss. People everywhere were in hysterics. One person was crying. It might have been me. I kept peeking out the window through blurry eyes to make sure the paparazzi didn’t see us coming into the restaurant. What the hell?

It's a chip and dip.

Little did I know that it’s really one of Jen’s favorite Mexican restaurants, and the food quality shows it. Jen immediately opted for a large cauldron of Sangria, and I opted for the l’eau de dc, only the freshest in local drinking liquids. A basket of freshly made corn tortilla chips suddenly appeared on our table, accompanied by a smoky, medium-hot bowl of house-made salsa and house-made sour cream’n'onion dip. Ridiculously good. So good I nearly licked the dip bowl clean on my own. Various employees came to stop by and chat, catching up with Jen since her last visit several months prior. Her status there is legendary as one of their most beloved patrons, and a photo of her sits near the cash register under the neon light hues at the bar. To say that we got exemplary service would be an understatement, as we were constantly being checked upon or served by at least three people. Whether or not that was because with Jen or if it’s pretty much standard operating procedure might require a visit of your own.

Jen and I both ordered the enchiladas, hers, the cheese filled ones, and mine, the chicken filled ones. Both were great, covered in savory enchilada sauce, topped with fresh queso, and served with sides of Mexican rice and refried beans.

Guajillo's Enchiladas

I clearly did not care for my meal.

The aftermath.

While the chicken enchiladas here are pretty damn good, the cheese enchiladas are even better. After helping Jen take out the rest of her meal, I somehow managed to coerce her into sharing a dessert with me. The sopapillas were enticing, and as I found out, enormous.

Sopapillas

These things are each about the size of a slice from a medium pizza, soaked in cinnamon, honey, and caramel, optionally served with a giant dish of vanilla ice cream. It tastes a good bit like a plate of churros, just with a different shape.

A definite winner. I’d come back again for sure, but like I said, it’s hard to walk past Ray’s Hell Burger like everyone else and get sucked into their burgers. If you’re in the mood for Mexican food, and good Mexican food at that, Guajillo is a place you shouldn’t pass up.

Good for:

• The Three Amigos
• Nobel Peace Prize Winners
• Casual Diners
• Sour Cream and Onion Dip Fantatics
• Things That Go Bump in the Night

Not good for:

• Sigfried
• Roy
• Supernintendo Chalmers
• People Who Hate Knees
• Sabretooth Tigers

View Guajillo on a map here.

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Image Credit: Flickr user jagosaurus

Metro 29 Diner is a free standing diner on route 29 in Arlington, and has the great distinction of not only being one of the best diners in the area, but also a locally owned one as well. It’s hard to miss this place as it maintains the traditional diner exterior, with just barely enough chrome and neon lighting to outshine a Japanese Decotora truck.

It's like a slot machine, only it spits out blinding death. And delicious noodles.

The interior of the diner has been renovated and has a very contemporary and clean feel to it, unlike the traditional leather booths and mini jukeboxes of chains like Silver Diner. Think of Metro 29 Diner as a fancier IHOP. Less screaming, more pie.

Speaking of pie, the desserts at Metro 29 are outstanding. The display case that greets you at the front door warrants a viewing, with enormous slices of cake, pie, and canolis. ENORMOUS. Their slices of Boston Creme Pie puts Rhode Island into complete darkness. And who wouldn’t want to die by way of pie? Much better than seppuku.

The dish portions are also nothing to scoff at here. I ordered the challah bread French Toast, because, clearly, I still can’t get enough of the Frenchies. The jumbo slices of French toast are amazing. Thick cut, soaked in egg and butter, and good enough to be eaten on their own without accouterments. I had it with two eggs sunny side up and a side of bacon. Eggs cooked sunny side up is an art, because you run the fine line of either overcooking the yolks or not cooking them enough. Fortunately, the cooks here are the Van Goghs of egg prep, because these eggs came out perfectly. The ‘side’ of bacon actually was about 10 strips of pig, no snout, little grease and perfectly crisp.

Service is friendly and fast, just the way a diner should be. Our waitress was quick to take down orders, and the food came out in less than 15 minutes.

If there were to be one complain I have about this place, it’s the fact that they don’t serve real maple syrup here. I do my best to avoid my intake of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) at all times. It’s easy enough to do during my normal diet during the week, because I avoid refined sugars altogether, but during cheat meals, I’ll have to pay extra care to check the ingredients on things like preserves and syrup. Metro 29 Diner serves up Maple Flavored Syrup, which is why I went with the nude French Bread, but I wasn’t disappointed in the least.

Metro 29 is a great place greasy spoon along I-66 and Highway 29. The wait time varies depending on when you go, but Saturday mornings are generally relaxed and you can usually get a seat without much of a wait. Definitely plan an off the rails meal here, and be smart enough to save room for dessert at the end. Highly recommended, and I’ll be back here again.

View a map of Metro 29 Diner here.

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China Garden is just one of the few places in the DC metro area that serves an authentic dim sum (or yum cha) brunch on the weekends.

Let’s back up a second here and get you acquainted a bit with the terms.  Dim Sum, literally translated as “Touch the Heart”, refers to a Canton style brunch where restaurants have young Chinese women push stainless steel carts between tables, with each cart holding numerous dishes of seafood, pork, beef, chicken, vegetables, and desserts.  These dishes are served in steamers or small plates, and typically are served in portions for two to four people to share.  The phrase Yum Cha translates to “drinking tea”, and can be interchanged with the phrase Dim Sum, as they both refer to the same meal.

I’ll be the first to admit, the experience of yum cha in this area isn’t really the most pleasant.  The typical patrons lack tradional Western manners, which may be perceived as rude or even slightly unpleasant.  The hostesses and waiters tend to be very direct without the niceties, although the cart pushing girls are a little bit better.  The tables are usually clean, but you shouldn’t be surprised if they are a tad greasy when you arrive…and don’t bother queuing up unless you’ve got everyone who’s going to eat with you, or you’ll be shunned by herr hostess without a bat of an eye.

The bathrooms, well, let’s just say I strongly encourage you to hold your bladder, or find a place elsewhere to do your business after yum cha.

But don’t be scurred.  There’s a one really, really good reason why I’ll ignore all that and come to China Garden, time after time.

Dumplings

Carrot Sesame Paste Pastries

Taro Cakes

Egg Custard Tart

The food you get at yum cha is phenomenal.  A huge array of compartmentalized dishes, each with their own distinct tastes and flavors.  The dumplings and buns are by far some of my favorites, with the soft breaded exterior secretly holding delicious variations of meat or custards inside that are so incredibly delicious.

The one caveat is that you’ll have to steel yourself and come with an open mind for tastes and textures.  There are definitely a handful of dishes that are way off some people’s tolerance for consumption.  For example, chicken feet.  It’s a delicacy in China, and America, apparently, exports some of the best chicken feet in the world.  So good it’ll prevent a trade war between the two countries.

Still not good enough for me to ever eat them.  I’ve tried it once, and…BLARGH.  Not my cup of cha.

But BBQ pork buns?

Baked custard buns?

OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM

LOLWTFBBQPORKBUNS

Definitely $240 worth of pudding. Er, custard.

And the icing on the cake?  Most dishes won’t run you more than $4 a pop.

So a solid gorgeathon here will, with a generous tip, drain your wallet of about $16-25.  Not too shabby!

Most yum cha establishments have vegetarian dishes, but I wouldn’t feel entirely comfortable taking Jen here because I can’t definitively say that the vegetarian dishes we would order are definitely meat-product free. With that being said, there is a vegetarian only dim sum restaurant in New York’s Chinatown that is worth a visit.

China Garden is for:

• adventerous eaters
• dumpling lovers
• proficient chopstickers
• budget diners
• meat lovers
• gluttons

China Garden is NOT for:

• vegetarians
• germaphobes
• claustrophobes
• restricted carb diets
• paleo eaters
• mermaids

China Garden is located on the Mezzanine level of the Channel 8 7 building in Rosslyn. View a map here.

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Kora is one of the latest in a deluge of new Italian restaurants in the DC area, and the second restaurant by Chef Morou and his wife, Heather. The couple’s first restaurant, Farrah Olivia, has been closed since April, which has given Morou the time to properly focus his attention on Kora.

The new restaurant takes the place of the now shuttered Bebo Trattoria, and is named after Morou’s youngest daughter, who smiles proudly from an oversized pop art piece on one of the walls of the restaurant. The atmosphere is modern, but the type of modern you feel from perusing the home furnishings of a west elm catalog. Modern, simple and could easily transform into a retail space with a sales clerk hawking African ebony floating shelves for $800. Wall mount screws sold separately.

I digress. A lot.

The restaurant opens up to a large hostess table, and a large pizza oven that likely burns the midnight wood churning out flat breaded deliciousness.

Speaking of bread, the carbtastic surfboards served here are fantastic. They’re baked to perfection, with a slighly crispy exterior, and an aromatic soft center that smells vaguely of herbs. Make sure to get a few dabs of olive oil, poured into a dish of basil, fresh ground pepper, and sea salt. Tuck in.

I opted for a half gnudi to start. Half gnudi? I know, you must be thinking one of two things.  Which half?

Gnudi on top

Gnudi on the bottom

Not quite. (but if you’re going to make me choose, I’d prefer going gnudi, Donald Duck style) Gnudi is a pasta that could probably be best described as a light gnocchi. It also has a much softer and chewier texture, and pulls apart like a piece of bread. In fact, I’d say it’s almost like a little dumpling, and this is definitely one dish that Kora does right. It’s served on top of a small lake of parmesan cream sauce, accompanied by a good dose of caramelized onions, asparagus, and sauteed spinach to top.

Half Gnudi with caramelized onions and a parmesan cream sauce

I love this gnudi so much, I want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant.  Despite the pasta and the cream sauce, this dish doesn’t make you feel overly stuffed.  Well, it might to a normal person, but not to a Norm on a cheat meal.  And you know how I treat cheat meals.

BURN IT TO THE GROUND.

Next, I tried the restaurant’s Salmone.  Pan seared Norwegian Salmon on a bed of sauteed spinach and saffron orzo, a veritable raft floating between the Creamy Basil and Saffron Infused Butter oceans.  Sounds good, right?  And again, the presentation is on point.  The taste?

Salmon with saffron orzo on a paired creamy basil and saffron infused butter sauce

Eh.  It falls a little flat.  The salmon is perfectly cooked, as are the spinach, orzo, and sauces, but this dish doesn’t really excite me.  Saffron tends to be a mild spice, and this dish tasted like it needed something else to really make it stand out.  For me, I felt like the salmon was the culprit.  The seared sides of the fillet almost begged for some sort of salted crust, but it just didn’t have the gustatory sensation I expected from the first to my last bite.

On a quick side note, the server gave me the wrong order of Salmone (I ordered the medium rare variant).  It’s an easy enough mistake (did you say steak?) to make when there’s three orders of it at the table, but it stands out in my mind after reading numerous review of how the service is lacking at Kora (apparently the leased space has a bad service curse attached to it, Bebo was plagued with similar problems).  It’s a simple error though, and really I’m just pointing out one minor mixup.  Our server was pretty good for the rest of our meal, always keeping our drinks filled (correctly!) and always popping in to serve the food or check on us at exact the right times.   I just swapped plates with the person sitting next to me (who also ordered the Salmone) and all was right again in the world.  Birds were singing.  Clouds were clouding.  Western Michigan still sucks.

So what next?  If you happen to be a bargain hunter, your 3 course power lunch included a dessert, which on the menu, all look delicious, decadent, and likely to cause temporary blindness.  Much like a half gnudi of Bea Arthur.

Except…except I couldn’t decide.  That, and I didn’t order the power lunch special.  So I went with my gut and ordered the Tiramisu.  The tiramisu here is an espresso laced caked, layered with mascarpone cheese, and a heavy dollop of zabaglione.  Then the chef knocks over a giant shaker of cinnamon and voila!  Edible art.

Tiramisu with espresso laced sponge cake, mascarpone cheese, and zabaglione cream

Two thumbs up on the presentation again, and this time, the taste delivers.  Nothing about this dish is overwhelmingly sweet, and it’s the perfect cap to an Italian meal.

If you’re a normal person who’s not on a cheat meal.

So I did what I’d normally do in these sorts of situations.  I ordered two desserts.  I opted for the Bongo Bongo.  A quartet of cream puffs, filled with a rich chocolate sauce, topped with a chocolate semi freddo and surrounded by alternating cranberry and almond dipping sauce pools.  Not as good as the tiramisu, but still tastefully done.

Bongo Bongo with chocolate coming out of every orifice

While I think Kora still has a few wrinkles to iron out, and could possibly use some tweaks to their dishes, the restaurant is a great places to get a truly fantastic Italian meal.  The breads and pastas here are great, and I highly, highly recommend the gnudi. It is literally is worth the trip over to Kora for a full gnudi.  None of the dishes are uberheavy, even with butter or cream sauces, so you’ll have room for dessert.  Best of all, the prices aren’t outrageous, so if you’re willing to look over the fact that it’s not downtown in the District, you’ll be happy with what Morou has to offer. View a map of Kora here.

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One of the great things about living in the suburbs of the Washington DC area is the wide array of authentic ethnic dining from a dizzying array of choices. It almost seems absurd that having Indian cuisine for dinner would be one of the less exotic choices you could go with around here. Regardless, many of the Indian restaurants I’ve eaten at are of above average to excellent quality, without the severe price hike you’d come to expect dining within the District.

Minerva is an excellent chain of restaurants serving up authentic North Indian cuisine. Each of the various suburban locations (four in the DC Metro area: Fairfax, Chantilly, Centreville, and Gaithersburg) has the added bonus of offering a lunch buffet that is guaranteed to send you to foodcomaville (population: you) for hours on end. Afternoon productivity? Don’t count on it.

For this visit, Jen and I dropped into the Fairfax location. The space is larger than it appears from the outside with cavernous depth and styled with simple decor, probably in favor of the various large 42 inch LCD televisions that adorn the walls. Service here isn’t particularly great, but it’s not terrible either. Visiting is definitely to take advantage of the well-priced dining.

You have your choice of ordering either a la carte (another French term, which translates roughly to “from the kitchen via a flaming wheelbarrow”) or the full dinner entree. The a la carte option will get you the dish you ordered with no sides, although it’s pretty likely that whatever you picked pairs up very well with a separate order of naan (traditional Indian flatbread). Jen wisely went this route, ordering up the Chana Masala (chickpeas aka garbanzo beans in a tomato sauce) with a side of Garlic Naan.

Chana Masala, photo courtesy of Seattle Pi

I ordered the Chicken Pasanda dinner, which arrived with a small army of sauce samplers, rice, and plain naan. I really wish I could identify all the various sauces/dips that came with my order, but none of them really stood out. There was one yogurt sauce, three tomato based sauces, and another sauce that had fried cubed of cottage cheese, with the texture of firm tofu. There was also some sort of bread pudding like dish that had a unique and mildly sweet flavor to it.

The Chicken Pasanda, however, is OUTSTANDING. The sauce is a yogurt and curry based sauce that I was close to devouring up with a spoon after finishing off the chicken. That alone is worth it for me to return to this place and go Shiva-Destroyer-of-Worlds on their buffet selection.

Pasanda Curry, photo courtesy of myindianfoodrecipes.com

If you’re a wine drinker, you’re in for a treat. Wine is on the super cheap here. Jen seriously considered the merits of ordering a half carafe at the FIRE! sale price of $8, but then opted to go for just a glass to avoid having to pay her respects to the Porcelain God after we got home. Still, the wine by the glass is an extraordinary deal. The waiter gingerly walked from the bar to our table with her glass of riesling, and it wasn’t until when he set it on the table, almost completely filled to the brim, did it dawn on me why he was doing the ninja trot in the first place.

If you’re going to make a visit for dinner, I’d suggest going to the a la carte route with the naan of your choice. The value is better if you consider going for something other than the regular naan, and you’re not missing out on much from the dinner entree. You’ll also have a bit more room for dessert, which Jen and I missed out on this go around. She really talked up the Gulab Jamoon at Minerva, which are described as deep fried dumplings of dried milk and flour soaked in a sugar syrup. Sweet merciful glycemic overload that sounds like it should come with a waiver. There’s apparently something about the process of creating these things where the dumplings defy physics and nature, soaking in more syrup that should be physically possible. I’ll head back soon and report more on these deep fried black holes soon.

All this fantastic food with nary a word of breaking the bank. Nice.